Overview
Our Benefits
You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.
About the role
Helping residents find sustainable solutions while protecting vital Council income is at the heart of this role. As a Council Tax Recovery Officer, you’ll play an important part in supporting the financial stability of West Northamptonshire Council by ensuring appropriate recovery action is taken while providing a fair, professional and customer-focused service.
Working within our Revenues & Benefits Service, you’ll manage Council Tax recovery processes, support customers who are experiencing difficulties with their payments and help maximise collection rates that enable the Council to continue delivering essential services to our communities. This is a rewarding opportunity for someone who enjoys problem solving, working with legislation and supporting customers to achieve positive outcomes.
What will you be doing?
You’ll manage a varied caseload of Council Tax recovery work, ensuring recovery action is taken in accordance with legislation, Council policy and agreed procedures. This will include issuing recovery notices, progressing cases through various stages of recovery, negotiating payment arrangements and supporting customers to find realistic and sustainable ways to manage their debt.
You’ll deal directly with customers through telephone, email and written correspondence, providing clear information and guidance while balancing the need to maximise collection rates with a sensitive and customer-focused approach. You’ll also work closely with colleagues, enforcement agents and other stakeholders to ensure the Council’s approach to debt recovery remains effective, consistent and compliant.
Alongside your day-to-day casework, you’ll contribute to service improvements, support system testing and reporting activities, and represent the Council at court hearings where required.
About you
You’re a confident communicator who can build rapport, negotiate effectively and deal with sensitive situations in a calm and professional manner. You enjoy working with detailed information and legislation, and you’re comfortable making decisions that require both sound judgement and empathy.
You have strong organisational skills and can manage a busy workload while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail. Experience within a Revenues, Council Tax or debt recovery environment would be advantageous, but equally important is your ability to learn complex legislation, work collaboratively and deliver excellent customer service.
Most importantly, you’ll be motivated by helping customers find solutions while contributing to the effective management of public funds. You’ll share our THRIVE values and our commitment to delivering high-quality services that support the residents and communities of West Northamptonshire.
About us
We’re a new council, following one of the largest shake-ups in local government
reform in recent history. As a new authority, we’re embarking on an exciting journey
to deliver exceptional services for our residents, customers and
communities.
Our vision at West Northamptonshire Council is ‘to make West Northants a great
place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to
make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance,
Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver
services.
At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with
ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail,
and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A
place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-
minded people.
When potential is unlocked, talent thrives.
Choose a career that offers you a true sense of achievement, fills you with pride and
challenges you in a positive way, every day.
West Northants Council, where careers thrive.
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
